Spoiled Brats Sighting

[jh417]

This happened a few weeks ago, but it still bothered me to this day.

Now, I'm not the most perfect daughter in the world, but even I would have never talked to my mother like this.

So, I'm the doctor's office for my weekly allergy shot (apparently I'm like allergic to everything) and there are a lot of people waiting. A mother and her junior high daughter and elementary school son come in.

The kids both sit down and have the biggest ugliest scowls on their faces. Mom explains pretty nicely they will be a bit late to meet dad (I assume the parents are divorced because of the next lines coming out of the kids' mouths)

This is pretty much all I hear from the girl:

"This is all your fault!"

Mom says some more apologies and says that dad won't be angry and she'll call him.

"Why? He's just going to hang up on you!" She sneers at her mother, "He hates you mom."

Then the little boy (has to be around eight) chimes in, "Yeah...EVERYONE hates you."

Repeat rinse over and over again.

Mother gets angry, and takes both out to the hallway and scolds them, but it doesn't work, because the kids just keep on reiterating the fact that their father really hates her.

Gawd, if I spoke like that to my mom, I'm hoping she'll talk some sense into me. Geez.

[Pairou]

.... wow. See this is why I'm afraid to ever have children. I owe my parents the world. And it's called basic respect; they'll need it later.

[tropicsgoddess]

Wow...those kids need a good ol' fashioned smack to the face. I would've had my teeth knocked out for saying something like that to ANY of my elders in my family.

[Fenrus]

See, with my family, I could see saying it in jest once... just once. After that, my hide would be so raw, I'd have icepacks taped to my butt...

[wagegoth]

This is why I don't miss working in family law.

I probably would have responded, "Yes, well, I hate daddy, too. He cheated on me and now he won't pay child support, so that's why we have to sit in this crap clinic instead of going to your regular doctor. Why don't you ask him why he hates you so much that he won't pay for your food and clothing and shelter?" Yes, I'm feeling a bit cranky today.

[Aethian]

My cousins little one is the light of her life and at her birthday a couple months ago came up to her while they did cake serving and asked her how much longer he had to be there cause his Dad said that he would take him to the park. Could have knocked her over with a feather.

[Toujin]

Sadly, this sounds like a case of of one parent using the kids against the other...

[kibbles]

This is why I don't miss working in family law.

I probably would have responded, "Yes, well, I hate daddy, too. He cheated on me and now he won't pay child support, so that's why we have to sit in this crap clinic instead of going to your regular doctor. Why don't you ask him why he hates you so much that he won't pay for your food and clothing and shelter?" Yes, I'm feeling a bit cranky today.

Maybe it's not the father's fault and it really is the mother's. Hard to tell just from overhearing a conversation.

[Aethian]

Maybe it's just not ONE parents fault and is both of theres. Takes two to tango and two to fight.

[blas]

I agree with some of the other posters. ALTHOUGH the situation that wagegoth created is usually the most common reason (as there are way more deadbeat fathers who cheated and deserted their families), at the same time, there are also a lot of vicious, vindictive women out there who will do anything possible to turn their children against their father. A lot of divorced couples do this to their children.

Nancy Boy, my ex bf, was a child of divorce, and very early on in his life. His parents then decided they'd do whatever to make him like one more than the other. His father owned a car dealership and spoiled him rotten, giving him any vehicle he wanted (among other material things he was always spoon fed growing up) and his mother NEVER set any rules for him. So one parent gave him whatever he wanted, the other never parented him and let him make his own rules. That's a very good reason he is such an arrogant, materialistic, messed up shit to this day.

[BethB]

Saying ugly things like that is not excusable regardless of what the family situation is. My mother NEVER tolerated things like that and if my kids try it now, prized possessions get taken away. In this situation it seems like mom has to be disciplinarian and police her kids while dear old dad sets no limits and gives kids everything.

[wagegoth]

Since the mother still usually gets the majority of the custody, the kids see spending time with the father as extra special time, downgrading everything the mother does. Kids don't see the everyday work that is done for them by the mother. What they see is dad isn't there, and they often blame the mother for that, no matter the real reason.

Kids don't appreciate the hot meals and the clean clothes and house and help with the homework. They find their lives completely shaken up and changed. What they thought was safe (their home and parents) suddenly is broken. They are most likely to vent that fear and anger on the available parent, so the mom is more likely to pay the cost of the breakup, while the child pursues the lost love, time and attention from the absent father.

[Red_Dazes]

...it's kids like that that make me HATE children... I had an 8 year old at work tell her mom to "SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'LL get it if I want!"
My parents BOTH would have slapped me senseless if I had spoken to either of them like that. Not to mention I would have gotten my mouth washed out with soap by my g-ma. It is NOT okay to let your kids be like that. Cause if you don't teach them it's not okay, someone else will, and you can bet it won't end well for them in the future when they say the wrong thing to the wrong people.

[PepperElf]

"scolds them"?
I'm surprised they didn't get slapped across the face

[laundryhater]

Maybe the mom cheated on her ex-husband?

When I was a freshman in high school my mom cheated on her 2nd husband and left him for a married man.

Of my mom's 3 husbands, I was closest to the 2nd and called him "Dad".

So although I can't recall if I ever told her that I hated her for what she did to tear the family apart and break #2's heart (my favorite dad), I do recall letting her know that I was not happy and didn't approve of her adultry.

So unless you know that family's situation, please don't judge the kids too harshly. They may be lashing out at mom for a bad situation that is mom's fault. And when you're a kid whose family is being torn apart it's very upsetting.